During the past couple of weeks I’ve heard the term “Meaningless Game” used frequently, and I disagree with the whole concept.

I do understand that after a certain point in the season, which team wins a given game may have no impact on the final standings. So, in terms of the final standings, a particular game may be considered to be “meaningless”.

But I say, if the game is truly “meaningless”, it should just be forfeit. Like the bottom of the 9th when the home team is ahead. Why play it at all? Find a beach somewhere to relax on and sip Pina Coladas. I would like to think that these games were not played just for the gate receipts and TV revenues.

In a 162 game schedule, each game has 1/162 impact on the final standings. That’s less than 1% (0.61728% to be exact). I’m not a statistician but in my very limited statistical experience, generally anything less than 5% is considered to be negligible, ie., meaningless.

So, by that logic, each individual game of the regular season is “meaningless”, and by a pretty wide margin. If that’s the case, why do they play ‘em? And why do we watch ‘em?

Because they’re NOT meaningless. Individual games are not meaningless. Spring training is not meaningless. Batting practice is not meaningless. Conditioning and strength training are not meaningless.

I love this game too much to write off any part of it as meaningless.

There are those who consider the World Series to be the only “meaningful” games of the year, for those are the ones which directly determine the championship. For them, the entire regular season and all the playoff games are simply a spinning of wheels among mostly “also ran” teams.

Sorry, folks. I don’t buy it. There were no “meaningless games” during the regular season, and there aren’t going to be any “meaningless games” during October.